Nightmares of the Past
by The Blood Red Knight
Summary: The worst possible event has happened for the Mushroom Kingdom, their beloved hero Mario is dead. Now Peach's beloved kingdom is falling into ruins, and Bowser is making his final plan to bring the Kingdoms together. She now must watch her kingdom fall, and Bowser Jr. watch as his so-called "mother" feel the pain of losing everything she ever loved.
1. The Final Battle

The crack in the wall grew bigger as sudden force was placed on it, a body, specifically a human one. If it wasn't bad enough already, the worst part was that the castle was continuing to fall apart. The battle that was being fought here, was still raging as bad as it was when it began. The battle, however, did not consist of two gigantic armies, instead it only consisted of three people. The fight went on for a while, and Peach was sitting on the floating platform, holding the hand of her five year old daughter, Courtney, as they watched Mario fight brilliantly. Even outnumbered, he still stood his ground, even though at times he lost a lot of it.

"Mommy, will Daddy be okay?" Courtney whispered in the midst of explosions and destruction.

Peach looked at her daughter, tears welling up in her eyes. How could she explain what is happening down below them to a five year old? The answer, well, she couldn't, but she knew that Mario would pull through, he always did. She kissed Courtney, placing her soft hands on her daughter's cheeks, and lifted her chin so she was facing her.

"I don't know sweetie, but I know that we will be alright, so there's no need to worry." She replied, kissing her daughter again, and looking back to the ground where her beloved husband is fighting on.

He was pinned in a corner, blood dripping down the side of his cheek, and he was breathing heavily. Junior was in front of his father, sword in his hand, and his bandanna wrapped around his bleeding arm. To Peach's surprise his face showed a bit of confusion, as if he didn't know what to do next.

"Very good Junior, very, very good, now kill him." Bowser growled.

Peach gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe what Bowser wanted Junior to do, Junior was only a few years older than Courtney, but why wouldn't he kill Mario himself?

"I-I can't, he is disarmed, I can't just kill him." Junior replied.

"Didn't you say back on Isle Delfino that you would beat Mario?" Bowser argued.

At this point, Junior knew that he couldn't argue about that, his father was right, he did say that, but he never wanted to kill him. It was never his intention, that would've made him a criminal, wouldn't it?

"Yeah but, I said that I would beat him, not kill him and make his wife and five year old daughter watch." Junior replied with a slight tone of anger.

He looked up to see that Peach was giving a weak smile to him, while Courtney was hiding behind her mother, a expression of fear easily visible to him, as he knew that she was hiding from him.

"Junior, you realize that he is too dangerous to be kept alive? If you let him live, he will kill us all." Bowser shot back.

Junior stood frozen as a statue, he never thought of that, and he knew that he would one day rule the kingdom that was being ruled by his father. He turned back to face the defeated plumber, resting on his knees, and using his hand to cover the cut on his arm.

"I'm sorry Mario, I'm so, so sorry." Junior sobbed. Junior said with a sniffle. He then raised his sword, freezing as he raised it over his head. "Wait, I would rather do this alone, I want to be alone when I do this." He stared back to his father, who only nodded.

"Please Junior, don't do this." Mario begged. Junior froze, as he stared at his father, taking Peach and Courtney out of the room. He saw the look on Peach's face, the fear, the pain, the sadness. And then there was Courtney, she look terrified, but she was about to lose her father, so Junior expected her to be like that.

"Courtney... Peach... no." Mario muttered.

Junior looked at his hand, could he really do this? He then finally realized what had to be done, and what would become of his decision. He turns away, raises his sword, and sends it flying down. He had accoplished his father's dream. The hero of the Mushroom Kingdoom, the soul mate of the queen, the father of the blood heir to Peach's throne, their hero Mario was dead. Dead, and slain by Junior's own hands, and he knew, that without him, Peach's beloved kingdom would soon crumble.

Junior stepped into the throne room where he knew his father would be. He saw Kamek, whispering in his father's ear. His father turned to face him, as a smile broke across his face.

"Ahh Junior, back so soon?" He asked.

"Papa, Mario is dead. He is no longer a threat to us." Junior said, breathing heavily as he spoke the words.

"Good my son, very good. Now nothing shall get in our way when we take over Peach's kingdom." Bowser said with a devilish smile. He began to laugh, his cackle creating a low rumble that could be heard from the other side of the room.

 _Peach_

 _How could Bowser do such a thing?! I know he wanted Mario dead, but have him killed by his own son?! What kind of monster would do that?! And to call himself a FATHER?! There is no doubt now, my kingdom is done for, without Mario... I have... I have... nothing. *Sobbing*_ "Why?! Why did you do this to me!? I hope you're happy, because your muderous act of your so-called 'Heroic deed' will haunt you forever!" I yelled, throwing a chair to the locked door. The door didn't break, but the chair shattered into pieces. _Weak lousy chair, didn't even like it anyway, just like this castle!_

"Something tells me your world just shattered." Said a voice behind me. I turned to see a man, in some very formal uniform on. There was a symbol of Bowser's face in a circle with wings and two airships beside it. Some Air Force member of Bowser's military of some sort. His jacket had a gear shaped pendent on it as well. _He must be a high-ranked officer or something._

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Sorry for the intrusion Your Majesty, allow me to introduce myself. I am Micheal Coopert, Captain of the 203rd fleet of the Grand Airship Armada for the Koopa Kingdom. I'm also the 2nd grand adviser to King Bowser Koopa himself." He replied, sounding extremly formal, as if he memorized it by script.

"How did you know I was a Royal?" I asked.

"The dress was an immediate dead giveaway, also I was informed by His Majesty himself."

"Well, did he tell you that he had his own son kill my husband and commit murder!?"

"I was already aware, because I was in a higher balcony watching the entire battle unfold."

"So you watched him order his son to kill Mario?"

"I will admit, that was a little barbaric in my opinion, but how could I question him in that moment, you already saw how he was with Junior when he questioned his command."

He did have a point there, and at this point bickering about it would be pointless, but if he's an adviser to the king, why didn't he do anything? _Something shady is going on, and I need to find what, because everything I'm fighting for, may die with me, my legacy, and my sanity._

"So why did you come here? You're a human, humans are forbidden in the Koopa Kingdom." I asked.

"Yet here you are, along with your daughter, locked inside with this castle with your husband dead." He countered.


	2. Secret Encounter

_Junior_

 _Did I really do this? I feel like I made a mistake, I mean I did, I didn't have to kill him, but something inside me felt like I had to. Why is this so hard?_ I walked to the training room, memories of fighting my siblings, losing repeatedly, and seeing my father sigh in disappointment. Why was it so hard back then? Why was he so harsh on me to become stronger than my seven other siblings back then? "Where do I even stand in this family?" I muttered to myself. I fell to my knees, tears forming in my eyes.

" _Why so down young one?_ " Said a voice, I couldn't tell where it was coming from, and it was definitely not someone I knew.

"Who are you? Show yourself! How did you get into the castle?" I asked.

"My name? Well... that's a question that I'll answer later, but the question I wish to ask you is, what are you doing down here all alone?" He asked. I didn't respond, I wanted to make sure I could trust him before I said anything.

"You can trust me young one... after all, I am a spirit, and I'm watching over you." He said.

 _Okay, now this is getting really weird, who is this "spirit", and why is he "watching over me" like some protector? I don't need one, and why me, out of everyone in this castle, why me?_

"So if you are my so-called spirit, why are you protecting me?" I asked.

"A question for another time, all will be answered later, but now tell me, why so gloomy...Bowser Junior?" He asked.

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"Like I said, I'm your spirit protector. I know everything about you, I've watched over you for years."

"Well, I feel as if I made a huge mistake. I think tore my bond with Peach apart." I replied.

"Well, I'll tell you what, why don't you go back upstairs and spend some time with your family, and I'll tell you what I think you should do. I believe you're thinking of this way too much." He whispered.

Maybe he was right, maybe I shouldn't think too much. Maybe it was getting into my head too much.

I returned to my family,who were in the throne room, staring at me. I saw my seven siblings, whispering to each other, well except for Ludwig, he was reading a book. I knew what book it was, he would read it constantly, it was: "The History of the Koopa Kingdom." For some reason, he really enjoys reading that one book.

"Back so soon brother?" Ludwig snickered. but his voice didn't sound so dramatic, it sounded like he didn't care.

"Did you not see me come in?" I asked.

"Oh I saw you come in, I just wasn't paying too much attention to you." He replied, sarcastically.

"What is your problem Ludwig?" I asked, loud enough for the whole room to hear, which also made my father dart his eyes towards us.

"Boys, don't even dare start anything with each other, we already have enough problems with Peach and Courtney, we don't want any more with you two, got it?" He snarled.

"Of course Father." Ludwig replied, as he returned to his book.

"Yes Papa." I replied. I walked towards my father, he was talking with Captain Coopert, viewing some paper that was part of something that they were part of his master plan.

"Do you believe you can infiltirate Peach's kingdom by nightfall?" My father asked.

"It'll be a tricky plan to maneuver, but without a doubt, I could get it done, if every goes to plan." Coopert replied.

"I figured you would, you are, after all, one of my best soilders. You never seem to let me down, and I don't expect you will. So I'll let you prepare your assult." My father added with a smile and a chuckle.

"Very well sire." Coopert said, he then soluted, and exited the room, leaving an eerie silence as my father turned to face me.

"Now what is it you wanted to talk about son?" He asked.

"Dad, I think I have a spirit protector."

"A spirit protector?" He asked, as if he didn't believe me, before continuing on, "The only 'spirits' that ever roamed this castle were boos, and the devious 'Shadow Spirits.'"

"Shadow Spirits?" I asked.

"The Shadow Spirits are souls, deep from our family's past, corrupted by darkness, created to serve for one purpose, to bring chaos and destruction to all the world and spread their darkness to anyone who walks the Earth." He explained.

"So, they're like Boos?" I asked

"No son, Boos are different, they are normal souls, not corrupted by darkness, but the Shadow Spirits possess a humanoid form, most of the time, that is. Some change into animals or objects, like bunnies, swords, or amulets." My father said before continuing on. "However the Shadow Spirits have disappeared for over 200 years, and left no trace, there is no way one could've resurfaced without Kamek knowing about it."


End file.
